Biofilms of Mycobacterium abscessus Complex Can Be Sensitized to Antibiotics by Disaggregation and Oxygenation.

Pulmonary infection with the multidrug-resistant complex (MABSC) is difficult to treat in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). MABSC grows as biofilm aggregates in CF patient lungs, which are known to have anaerobic niches. How aggregation and anoxic conditions affect antibiotic tolerance is not well understood.

Antibody response against Mycobacterium avium complex in cystic fibrosis patients measured by a novel IgG ELISA test.

Background: Early signs of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease can be missed in patients with cystic fibrosis due to subclinical infection or delays in mycobacterial culture. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of a novel enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for immunoglobulin G against Mycobacterium avium complex, which could help stratify patients according to risk.

Methods: A retrospective cross sectional analysis of serum samples from the Copenhagen Cystic Fibrosis Center was performed.

The importance of early diagnosis of Mycobacterium abscessus complex in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Mycobacterium abscessus complex can cause severe lung infections and has proven to be a serious threat to patients with cystic fibrosis and a challenge for clinicians due to difficulties in timely diagnosis and complex multidrug treatment regimes. Mycobacterial culture is the gold standard for diagnosis, but in most cystic fibrosis centers it is performed less frequently than culture for other pathogens. Consensus today recommends just one annual mycobacterial culture for asymptomatic patients with cystic fibrosis, a strategy likely to lead to diagnostic delays.